Louisiana

Ranking as one of the state’s top manufacturing industries, Louisiana’s forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy. The industry employs 29,000 workers with an annual payroll of $946 million. Louisiana’s paper and wood manufacturing workforce represents 12.4 percent of the state’s total manufacturing workforce.

Approximately 49 percent of Louisiana is forested. Credited to regeneration and planting programs, the net annual forest growth exceeds harvests by 5 percent.

Louisiana's Land Area (in thousands of acres)
Total Land Area: 27,882
Forests: 13,783
Forests as Percent of Total: 49.4%
Federal Lands: 1,285
National Forest System: 604

Timberland (in thousands of acres)
Government
    Federal: 707
    State: 300
    County & Municipal: 207
Forest Industry: 3,899
Other Private Nonindustrial: 8,579
Total Timberland: 13,692

Federal Land Set-Asides (in thousands of acres)
National Parks: 21
Reserved National Forests: 91
Fish & Wildlife Service: 511
Total: 623

Recycled Paper Consumption (in thousands of short tons): 2,180
also includes Arkansas’ recycled paper consumption

Tree Planting (acres)
Federal: 1,129
State, County and Municipal: 2,559
Forest Industry: 124,000
Farmer & Other Private: 27,820
Total: 155,508

Value of Industry Shipments (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $1,882,540
Paper Manufacturing: $4,318,166

Capital Expenditures (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $59,084
Paper Manufacturing: $210,392

Annual Production
Softwood Lumber (million board feet): 1,104
Hardwood Lumber (million board feet): 198
Structural Panels (million square feet): 2,827
Paper (thousands of short tons): 2,199
Paperboard (thousands of short tons): 5,258

Timberland Ownership
Government: 9%
Forest Industry: 28%
Other Private Nonindustrial: 63%

Louisiana’s total softwood and hardwood inventory has increased 71 percent since 1953 despite increasing production of wood and paper products.

Employment
Forestry: 1,621
Lumber & Wood Products (includes logging): 15,824
Paper & Allied Products: 11,582